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Salinification in the South China Sea Since Late 2012: A Reversal of the Freshening Since the 1990s
Author(s) -
Zeng Lili,
Chassignet Eric P.,
Schmitt Raymond W.,
Xu Xiaobiao,
Wang Dongxiao
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
geophysical research letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.007
H-Index - 273
eISSN - 1944-8007
pISSN - 0094-8276
DOI - 10.1002/2017gl076574
Subject(s) - argo , throughflow , advection , thermocline , oceanography , geology , climatology , ekman transport , current (fluid) , precipitation , environmental science , upwelling , geography , meteorology , physics , soil science , thermodynamics
Salinification has occurred in the South China Sea from late 2012 to the present, as shown by satellite Aquarius/Soil Moisture Active Passive data and Argo float data. This salinification follows a 20 year freshening trend that started in 1993. The salinification signal is strongest near the surface and extends downward under the seasonal thermocline to a depth of 150 m. The salinification occurs when the phase of the Pacific Decadal Oscillation switches from negative to positive. Diagnosis of the salinity budget suggests that an increasing net surface freshwater loss and the horizontal salt advection through the Luzon Strait driven by the South China Sea throughflow contributed to this ongoing salinification. In particular, a decrease in precipitation and enhanced Luzon Strait transport dominated the current intense salinification. Of particular interest is whether this salinification will continue until it reaches the previous maximum recorded in 1992.